WIC for HEIC 1.1.16

Photos come off an iPhone as HEIC files, and Windows shows you a folder of blank icons.

There are two free ways to fix that, and they are not equivalent.

This one is a single DLL.

Microsoft's needs two pieces and a Store account.

Why Not Just Use Microsoft's Extension

Because Microsoft's route has a paid step in the middle of it, and most pages do not mention that until you hit it.

There is a free way around the paid part - the free device-manufacturer build does the same job, and the guide on how to get the HEVC extension free covers it.

So the honest summary is that Microsoft's route is better supported and this one is simpler. If you have already fought the Store once, you will know which you prefer.

What It Does

Windows Imaging Component is the layer almost every Windows program uses to open a picture. This codec adds HEIC to it, so support appears everywhere at once rather than in one application.

• File Explorer generates real thumbnails instead of blank icons.
• Microsoft Photos and Paint open HEIC files directly.
• IrfanView, XnView and FastStone Image Viewer pick it up automatically.
• Anything else built on the standard Windows imaging pipeline gains it too.

It decodes. It does not encode, so nothing on your machine starts saving HEIC because you installed it.

Installing and Removing It

Since version 1.0.5 the package ships as a Windows Installer, so it is a normal MSI rather than a loose file to register by hand. Run it with administrator rights and the codec is in place.

That behaviour is not universal and appears to depend on the Windows build, so it is worth trying before ruling it out. The uninstaller error on its own is harmless.

What You Need

• Windows 10 version 1809 or later, or Windows 11.
• Administrator rights to install.
• Both 32-bit and 64-bit systems are covered.
• No Microsoft account, no Store, and no internet connection after the download.

That last line is the reason to pick it. If you have stripped the Microsoft Store with something like Win11Debloat, Microsoft's extensions are simply unavailable, and this is the remaining way to read HEIC.

If It Does Not Work Out

CopyTrans HEIC does the same job through the same mechanism and is the better-known option, so it is the first thing to try if this one misbehaves.

Failing that, several viewers decode HEIC themselves and never touch Windows at all. ImageGlass and nomacs both open HEIC with nothing installed system-wide.

PicView does the same and is the lightest of the three.

If the Store is available to you and you would rather have Microsoft's own code, install HEIF Image Extensions, and use the PowerShell fix when the Store fails if it refuses to install.

For converting HEIC to something more portable rather than viewing it in place, the guide on How to Open and View HEIF Images covers the options, and HEIF to JPEG does one file in the browser.

Related Codecs

WebP Codec is the same idea for Google's WebP format, plugging into Windows Imaging Component the same way.

Raw Image Extension covers camera RAW files, which is the other common case of a folder full of blank thumbnails.

And libheif is the library underneath most HEIC support anywhere, if you want the command-line tools rather than system integration.

Quick questions

The rest of the graphics category covers the viewers and converters worth having beside it.

Download WIC for HEIC 1.1.16 and see whether your thumbnails come back, or tell us how you got on if you have used it before.